# Gautam Buddha International Airport (BWA)

> Siddharthanagar (Bhairahawa), NP · IATA: BWA · ICAO: VNBW · Medium Airport

## Quick Facts

| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| IATA | `BWA` |
| ICAO | `VNBW` |
| City | Siddharthanagar (Bhairahawa) |
| Country | NP |
| Type | Medium Airport |
| Elevation | 109 m |
| Cargo | ❌ |
| GPS | 27.50533, 83.41259 |

## Description

Four years after opening as Nepal's second international airport, Gautam Buddha (IATA: BWA, ICAO: VNBW) still had no regular international service in mid-2026. The Thai AirAsia link from Bangkok, the last scheduled foreign route, stopped after March 2026 and no replacement was announced before October, leaving only occasional charters. The infrastructure is complete: a modern terminal, a three-kilometre runway built to international standards, immigration and security facilities, and a cargo building of roughly 8,000 square metres whose storage area consequently sits idle. No cold-storage room is installed, though space for one has been set aside in the new cargo building. The airport near Bhairahawa therefore mainly carries pilgrims and tourists heading for Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha, on domestic Buddha Air and Yeti Airlines flights. The Indian border at Sunauli lies only a few kilometres south, which makes the site attractive for trucking into Uttar Pradesh, but those flows currently run entirely by road. Shippers needing dependable airfreight still route through Tribhuvan (KTM) in Kathmandu, with Delhi (DEL) and Lucknow (LKO) as Indian alternatives.

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*Freight Academy — Airport Profile: [https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/gautam-buddha-international-airport-bwa](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/gautam-buddha-international-airport-bwa)*

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